Vehicle direction indicator



April 10, 1934.

c. L. ROSEN VEHICLE DIRECTION INDICATOR Filed July 27, 1932 IWE'JVTOR A. T TflRNEY Patented Apr. 10, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The present invention relates particularly to a direction indicator of the semaphore type.

It is one object of the invention to provide a device of the character indicated with a control means that will render it accurate and positive in operation, and that will enable the semaphore to be moved quickly and smoothly to a predetermined position.

It is another object to provide a device of the character indicated that will automatically display the stop signal upon operation of the vehicle brake, and one that will be economical to manufacture, compact in form, of few parts,

strong, durable, and highly efiicient in its practil cal application.

It is particularly an object of the invention to provide a device of the character indicated that will be equally efficient at all engine speeds.

In the drawing, the figure is a partial sectional I and diagrammatical view of the device in position on a vehicle, and showing some of the parts in elevation and some of the parts fragmentarily.

In the particular embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, I show at 1 a semaphore case mounted on a windshield post 2 and having a semaphore arm 3 mounted therein on a shaft 4. In the present instance the shaft 4 has a spring 5a mounted thereon to engage the arm 3 to normally urge the said arm into the case as shown.

At 5 is shown a cylinder that may be mounted in any suitable position on the vehicle body, this cylinder having a plunger 6 mounted therein and connected to the arm 3 as at 7 by a wire 8 passing through a conduit 9. A spring 10 is placed in the i cylinder 5 to bear against the face of the plunger to cooperate with spring 5a to return the arm 3 and plunger 6 to their normal positions after being operated as hereinafter set forth.

At 11 is shown a chamber communicating with .40. the intake manifold of the vehicle engine, 1101. by

551 whole.

means of a conduit 12 controlled by a check valve as 13.

At 14, 15 and 16 are three small identical chambers communicating with chamber 11 through passages 1'7, 18 and 19 controlled by check valves 20, 21 and 22, These three chambers are connected to, and communicate with, cylinder 5 by means of tubes 23, 24, 25, the connections of these tubes with the cylinder being spaced longitudinally thereof in accordance with the desired movements of the semaphore arm.

Inserted between the cylinder 5 and the chamber 11 are three housings 26, 27, 28, the said cylinder, housings and chambers forming one integral In these several housings, and axially aligned with the flap valves opposite thereto, are mounted magnets as 29, 30 and 31 energized through the medium of wires 32, 33 and 34 leading to switch terminals 35, 36, 37 on steering post 38. The switch 39 operating over these terminals is connected to a battery 40 through ignition switch 41, and the battery is grounded as at 42. In the wire 32 is inserted a switch 43, one terminal being mounted on the brake lever 44 with the result that the switch is normally open but is closed the instant the brake lever is used.

In operation it is clear that a certain degree of vacuum will be maintained in chamber 11, varying little from the maximum obtainable by operation of the engine when operating at normal speed. If, now, the brake is applied either to slow down or stop, the switch 42 is closed and magnet 29 is energized, thereby lifting valve 20 and permitting the suction to act through tube 23 to draw the plunger 6 down to the point where the suction is cut off, this operation rotating the arm 3 on its shaft until it takes the position indicated at 45 which is the stop position. Release of the brake will break the switch 42 and the suction in chamber 11 will close the valve 20, and the springs 5a 1 and 10 will return the arm and plunger to their normal positions.

In like manner closing the switch 3936 will swing the arm 3 into the position 46, and closing the switch 3937 will swing the arm 3 into position 47.

An important feature of the present invention is the assembling of the device in three simple units, namely, the switch control, the suction mechanism with the magnetic control, and the semaphore case and arm. By means of this construction the suction mechanism is built in one compact integral unit and the air has but a little way to travel from cylinder 5 to chamber 11, and consequently its action is substantially instantaneous, the pull on plunger 6 following immediately upon the opening of valves 20, 21 or 22. This instant operation of the arm also takes place at substantially all times because the air pressure in chamber 11 is just as low when the engine is operating at full speed as when slowed down or idling, and consequently the signal can be displayed just as promptly and smoothly when the vehicle is travelling at full speed, as when slowing down or stopped.

It is to be understood, of course, that while I have herein shown and described but one specific embodiment of the invention, changes in form, construction, and method of assembly and operation may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a signal arm, a cylinder provided with longitudinally disposed ports, a plunger disposed in the cylinder, an operating connection between the plunger and arm, a vacuum chamber, an engine having an air intake manifold, a valve controlled conduit connecting the chamber and engine manifold for exhausting the air from the chamber whereby to maintain a relatively low air pressure therein, ducts connecting the chamber with each port, a valve disposed in each duct to normally prevent the flow of air therethrough to said chamber, and selective means for opening the valves.

2. In a device of the character described, the

combination of a signal arm, a cylinder provided with longitudinally disposed ports, a plunger disposed therein, an operating connection between the plunger and arm, a housing having a vacuum chamber formed therein, an engine having an air intake manifold, a valve controlled conduit communicating with the chamber and engine manifold for exhausting the air from the chamber whereby to maintain a relatively low air pressure therein, said housing having a plurality of smaller chambers formed therein, each small chamber having a port formed therein communicating with the vacuum chamber and a normally closed valve seated on each port, a duct connecting each small chamber with a port in the cylinder, and selective means for opening said valves.

COLMAN L. ROSEN. 

